It’s good to be the Queen…continued

It’s Good to be the Queen…

The Special Events Queen.

This is my never-ending task for truth, justice and the American photo shoot! You never know what will happen during any photo shoot whether you’re photographing kids, dogs or celebrities. It’s all about the mind-set, your attitude, your humbleness (don’t know if that’s in the dictionary yet) and flexibility. Having a career in photography is my equivalent to a Phoenix rising from the ashes of chaos. As Photographers, we have seen massive changes in our field from the way we capture our images to the way we print them. I personally, miss the smell of developer. But that’s for another day!

So my biggest fear is training and working with new assistants or photographers. It’s hard to expect another person to care as much about your business as you do. It’s a given. There’s a certain level of comfort knowing someone has your back during a shoot. I personally look for someone I can trust with my equipment. Remember, I bring thousands of dollars of equipment with me on location. I like to bring back-up upon back-up upon back-up. (That’s why I use several assistants…back-up). The hardest part of having an assistant with you on a shoot is trusting that person not to say something to the wrong person (like a VP) and cause issues.

All this being said, I was contracted to photograph one of the actors from the Sopranos during a wine signing. Simple right? Define simple. My client is awesome, the celebrity is awesome but the human element is always a crap shoot plus I had a new crew. “What does not kill us makes us stronger.” I’ve said this to myself everyday for 20 years.

So, here’s the man of the hour…the amazing Tony Sirico.

He signed, he smiled, he had his photograph taken with hundreds of people.

And in the end, there was this really big check for charity. It gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling, doesn’t it?

Tips for check shots: Angle the top toward the ground so that it doesn’t reflect the lights.